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Heatherwick Studio Explores 1,000 Trees into a Mixed-use Building

Izzulhaq Alfaiz · March 27th, 2023
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Above view 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan ZhuAbove view 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan Zhu

Heatherwick Studio has completed the first phase of the Mixed-Use building design in Shanghai, China. In the first phase the building that has been built functions as a mix of shop, café, everyday store, new public space and promenades, and integrates the existing riverside park with the legacy of the abandoned factory structure on the site.

A 15-hectare mixed-use building in Shanghai, China, located between the Suzhou river and the M50 art district, has just completed the first phase of its design by Heatherwick Studio. Its strategic location makes '1,000 Trees' a place used for buildings with Mixed-use functions. The building, which integrates a riverside park with the heritage of a derelict factory structure, is used as a shop, café, and public area. The building was designed to make the city a social and transformational space for people who live and work in dense residential neighborhoods.

Terrace view 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan ZhuTerrace view 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan Zhu

Interior view 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan ZhuInterior view 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan Zhu

With this potential location and concept, Heatherwick wanted to create a place that could bring together nature, commerce, and prosperity in one region with a new purpose to explore art, landscape, and architecture. In addition, the architect also draws on the potential surrounding the site as a tribute to the area and simultaneously becomes the heart of the new city meeting by combining some of these potentials.

View from south 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan ZhuView from south 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan Zhu

In this regard, Heatherwick Studio took the spirit of art and tradition of the M50 district to fill the southern façade as a 'canvas' to draw sixteen local and international street art artists on the building's façade. The northern façade is designed to honor the Suzhou River by designing terraces on each floor inspired by the mountainside with giant potted plants placed just above the main column as if green shoots have grown through the building to bloom in the sky and bring nature closer to each level and every terrace. These pots are filled with various local plants ranging from grass, flowers, vines, and trees. When the construction of this area is 100% complete, there will be more than 1,000 trees and more than 200,000 plants that will decorate this area. This is also the inspiration to call this building '1,000 Trees'.

Detail façade 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan ZhuDetail façade 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan Zhu

Detail façade 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan ZhuDetail façade 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan Zhu

Furthermore, the second phase of this project is to form a courtyard around the existing building on the site and construct a second building in the east. Several heritage structures were integrated, including the remains of a factory that once stood on the site, such as the riverside factory tower reinforced with a steel structure that functioned as a building elevator. In this way, Heatherwick Studio continues the area's heritage as an industrial site but signifies that Shanghai's industrial nature has evolved, no longer as a factory but transformed into a place for creative endeavors and commerce by enjoying the river and nature.

Plan 1.000 Trees, Source by Heatherwick StudioPlan 1.000 Trees, Source by Heatherwick Studio

View from north 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan ZhuView from north 1.000 Trees, Photo by Qingyan Zhu

Interior view 1.000 Trees lift, Photo by Qingyan ZhuInterior view 1.000 Trees lift, Photo by Qingyan Zhu

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Architecture · Commercials ·